Noms's Signature: Boeuf Bourguignon, Coq Au Vin, and Variants

An upgrade to beef roast - can also be done with venison and skin-on chicken thighs (more about that below). Takes some time and effort up-front, but makes for a hearty Winter dish that fills your house with awesome smells from the slow-cooker.

Bacon cut into lardons is basically cut across the grain at about 1/4" spacing, such that you make little ingots that are about the same width as the bacon is thick. To make it easy, freeze it and use a sharp or serrated knife. To make it super easy, use a pair of scissors.

I recommend practicing mise en place (cutting everything and having it ready before you start).

Liberally season the roast with whatever savory blend of spices you like. You can use seasoned salt, but I prefer something a little more robust, like:

Once the roast is seasoned, rub the seasoning in and let it sit at room temperature.

Depending on how you plan to cook it slowly (slow-cooker, a big covered pot on low, etc.), you might have to change this up a little. A big pot means less dishes, as you don't need a skillet, but it's easy to have the heat up too high and end up with a chewy mess. I'll give the process for the slow cooker.

In a large skillet, sauteé the bacon until it's crisp. The point is to pull as much fat out as you can. Once this is done, scoop the bacon out and set aside in the refrigerator.

Turn the heat up to medium-high, and with a pair of tongs, sear everywhere you can get to on the outside of the roast. Try to blacken it - trust me, this doesn't ruin it...the more you can sear it, the more savory it will taste. Be aware that grease spattering can happen. Once this is done, put it into the slow-cooker.

In the skillet, add the onions, celery, carrots, and shallots, and drop the temperature down to medium. Stir constantly, cooking for about 7 minutes, then add the garlic. The garlic will become aromatic after about two more minutes, and it's time to transfer everything from the skillet into the slow-cooker. (Some people add garlic right away, but if it burns, it can get bitter. I try to make a little pocket in the skillet and add it at the end instead.)

To the pan, OFF THE HEAT, add the cognac, and scrape the bottom. The burnt bits of stuff should melt off the pan, and dump this all into the slow-cooker.

Add the red wine, cooking stock, potatoes and tomato paste to the slow cooker, and cook on low for 4-1/2 to 6 hours - the longer, the better. Add the mushrooms and bacon, and cook an additional 15 minutes.

The roast should be impossible to pick up whole by now - the alcohol helps with the slow and low cooking to break the grain structure of the meat. Take out as much of the meat (only) as you can, and pull off and discard the fat. Shred the meat and return it to the pot.

To make coq au vin, use the same process, but skip the mushrooms and the cooking stock. Cook for 2-1/2 hours. Serve immediately as opposed to pulling the fat (skin) off.

For a great vegetable beef soup, replace the cooking stock with a jug of original V8, skip the potatoes, and an hour before it's done, add in 1 cup of orzo noodles. For a stew with either, pull out as much of the broth as you can once the roast is done, and put it into a pot. In a small bowl, with a fork, combine 1 cup of cold water and 3/4 cups of corn starch. Once it's well-mixed, dump it into the pot, heat the pot on high heat, and stir like crazy. The broth will thicken once the liquid boils, and will continue to thicken when it cools. Dump this back into the slow-cooker and mix it with the solids.

It seems like a lot, and it can be depending on how you normally cook/how comfortable you are in the kitchen, but this is a great family get-together meal. I like to serve with fresh rolls, french bread, or in bread bowls.

Voilá! Bon appetít.

Last edited by Noms on Thu Mar 10, 2016 4:15 pm; edited 3 times in total (Reason for editing : Typos)

Noms, this recipe reads fantastic! Thank you so much for posting. How big a roast should I get? How many pounds of beef? Thinking of tip roast. I have a 6-quart oval shaped Croc Pot. Also would appreciate any serving suggestions and/or side dishes that go well.~Mali

Noms, this recipe reads fantastic! Thank you so much for posting. How big a roast should I get? How many pounds of beef? Thinking of tip roast. I have a 6-quart oval shaped Croc Pot. Also would appreciate any serving suggestions and/or side dishes that go well.~Mali

Tip roast is a fine choice. I usually get the supermarket-sized roast, so maybe 2-3 pounds? If you have a smaller roast, that's fine, too. It's up to you...a 6 quart croc pot is big enough, that's what I have. The roast I usually get fits inside it and takes up maybe a fifth to a quarter of the entire croc pot.

As for sides and serving suggestions, I've always wanted to put this into a bread bowl. There's no cheese in the recipe, so for us Wisconsinites, this would be a dream to have in a fresh bread bowl with provalone/swiss/mozzarella on top (sort of like french onion soup). I usually serve it with fresh buttered bread/rolls, and the stew/soup is hearty enough that it stands up on its own. Otherwise, you could do a small bowl of this and something like ham sandwiches on rolls. Again, it's a hearty soup, so be careful of how much you serve if you plan on making a side.